1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer-aided manufacturing systems and methods, and particularly to a computer-aided manufacturing system and method for sheet-metal punching.
2. Related Art of the Invention
With the ongoing globalization of commerce, market competition between modem international corporations is becoming more and more intense. All such corporations engaged in manufacturing have to try their best to improve their competitiveness. Improving production efficiency is a never-ending challenge. Improvements in machine punching tool hardware and falling commodity prices have helped increase many corporations' efficiency. Further, the use of computers to automate manufacturing has become popular, and has improved the speed and quality of sheet-metal punching. Sheet-metal punching at the present time mostly uses CAD (Computer Aided Design) to form 3-dimensional models and define workpieces, and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) to select an optimum machining path for a punching tool and generate CNC (computer numerical control) codes.
There are two notable problems with automated sheet-metal punching at the present time: people are still needed to control and oversee the entire process from model-forming to code-generating; and the entire process is not as smooth as comparable processes controlled by intelligent machining via a computer.
The abovementioned problems tend to give rise to high labor intensity, human error, and limited production efficiency. What is needed is a system and method which can reduce or even eliminate these difficulties.